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CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
Planning for a Sustainable Future
The White Paper, prepared by the Government on Planning for a sustainable future, will have major effects on local democracy, communities and the environment. In common with many other like minded organisations, such as the Civic Trust, your Society sees many of the proposals as a threat to sustainable development, future planning controls and public participation.
In particular, we are concerned about proposals that:
• Put decisions on major infrastructure projects (eg new airports and nuclear
power stations) in the hands of "expert" panels,
• Limit the public right to a say at public inquiries.
• Threaten local shops by making "out of town developments" easier.
• Introduce a "presumption in favour of developments". The list goes on and on.
We are asking that:
• Any national project should properly involve local people.
• Decisions are made by democratically accountable people.
• A legal duty on all decision makers to promote sustainable development.
Some of the recent and current planning applications bear out the view that the problems of developments will only grow in the future.
On a "micro" scale, your Society needs to plan for a sustainable future for itself. At the AGM, I advised the members that we needed to strengthen:
• Finances. Although the income from the new, higher subscriptions will be helpful, other savings or income generation will be needed to check the steady reduction in the reserves.
• Membership. The slow, regular attrition in the numbers of members is extremely difficult to combat. New ways of reaching potential members will have to be found.
• Volunteers. Although Finances and Membership are important, Volunteers are the life blood of the Society. We need new volunteers for the key roles on the Committee. If we cannot find them the Society could fold like several other Civic Groups, recently.
• After 5 years as Chairman, I have advised the Executive Committee that I intend to stand down at the AGM in October 2008. Please help me find my successor.
